Hermione Riddle

Inheritance Test: Harry

Severus laid his head in his hands digging his fingers into his hair, what was he going to do? He looked up at Tom in shock, so it was true then. Harry was his son. He knew who his mother was, even though Albus had sealed it. Someone had spiked his tea with a strong lust potion when he was 15 and promptly locked himself in a room with Sarah McGuire. She was a new student from America who came to finish her last year at Hogwarts, she had transferred from Salem Academy. She finished her classes and passed her N.E.W.T.s with flying colors. She was a seventh year Slytherin, and from what Severus remembered, she was also drugged with the potion. Severus had not known that she conceived a child from the incident until five years later, in 1980. She showed up on his door step with the five-year-old child and told him that someone was after them.

Flashback

"Severus you need to take him. Someone is after me. That night five years ago was no silly prank. Whoever did this wanted you and I to conceive a child. Now they are after him, I named him after you. Sebastian Severus Prince Snape. I gave him your mother's maiden name as well, I know how much she meant to you, and Sebastian was my father's name. I think I know who drugged us that night it was-" She was cut off as a spell hit her in the back. She quickly handed the toddler over to Severus as she collapsed on the ground as blood seeped from her body. Severus quickly shielded the eyes of the boy and placed him in his room, locking the door and warding it. Severus tried to heal her, but it was no use. She was already gone.

Severus set up a room for Sebastian after they had dinner, he cleared out his old room and set it up as a little boy's room. The Aurors had already come and collected the body, they wanted to take Sebastian, but Severus Assured them he was the boy's father. He was not going to let them have him, he knew one of them was from the Order and he had a sneaking suspicion who was behind all of this. He laid the boy down in his new bed and Sebastian smiled up at him.

"Mummy told me a lot about you. She said you are wicked smart and sweet when you want to be." The little boy opened his arms to Severus and Severus picked him up, holding him close to his chest, he tried to relax, he was not used to such close contact with anyone, let alone a child. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you Daddy, and I hope Mummy comes home soon." Severus clutched the boy to him and held him until he was fast asleep. Severus tucked his son into bed and left a small lamp on, giving the room a soft golden glow. He left the door cracked and went to sit in his arm chair with a book, he needed to relax after such an eventful night.

Severus woke with his book in his lap to Sebastian's screams. He rushed into the room to find the boy coughing up blood. Severus grabbed Sebastian and Apparated to St. Mungo's. They couldn't help the boy and offered their deepest sorrows and regrets to Severus, saying they were "sorry for his loss" and "sorry they could not do more". It was dark magic that had killed the boy, so dark, ancient, and obscure, that they could not even identify what it was. Severus went home and cried long into the early morning until sleep finally overtook him. The investigation of Sara and Sebastian had lasted a week before they gave up, but Severus thought someone had threatened them to quit looking.

End Flashback

Somehow, someone had either swapped Sebastian with a fake, healed him, or faked the curse merely to kidnap him. And now that very child was in Severus' guest room. He looked up to Tom before looking back at his toes and letting out a broken sob.

"Severus? What is the meaning of this?" Tom asked gently and Severus took a moment to collect his thoughts. He gave Tom his memories and let the man view them. "So, he is your son, the one that was murdered all those years ago, or so we thought." Tom placed a reassuring hand on Severus' shoulder and Severus covered it with one of his own.